SCORPION

CHAPTER XIX.

EVIDENCE OF CYPRUS.

Although now, owing to the march of events, the island of Cyprus is out
of the way and seldom visited, it was once otherwise. For in days of
old it occupied a favoured position between the countries then foremost
in the arts of civilisation.

In those days Cyprus was a centre of Phoenician enterprise. And, as we
are told in that fine work _'Kypros, the Bible, and Homer: Oriental
Civilisation, Art and Religion in ancient times,'_ "The oldest extant
Phoenician inscriptions, _themselves the earliest examples of letters
properly so called_, come from Cyprus."

As, moreover, when face to face with the relics of the Phoenicians we
are, as Dr. Max Ohnefalsch-Richter also remarks, "In the very midst of
ancient Canaanitish civilisation as depicted in the Old Testament," it
will be seen that a study of the antiquities of Cyprus should have a
special interest for us Christians.

Let us therefore see what the ancient remains found in the island in
question, and others referred to in the work mentioned as illustrative
of the same, can tell us regarding phallic worship in general and the
pre-Christian cross in particular.

One of the first points to be noted in the illustrations supplied by
Dr. Max Ohnefalsch-Richter is in a cut of an ancient Cyprian coin on
Plate X.; upon which coin we see over a temple gateway the phallic
symbol since adopted by the Moslems, and commonly spoken of as the
'_star_ and crescent' although, as already shown, it originality
represented the radiate Sun or Male Principle in conjunction with the
Crescent moon or Female Principle.

Upon Plate XIX. we see several examples of the Svastika cross occurring
upon an ancient Cyprian vase.

On Plate XXV. we are shown a gold leaf taken from an ancient grave,
upon which the Svastika cross occurs.

Figure 10 upon the same plate shows us a gold leaf discovered at
Amathus upon which we see the Sun and Moon in conjunction, the Sun in
this instance being represented as a disc in the horns of the crescent.

Upon Plate XXVI. we have representations of stone pillars at Atheniaon,
upon the capitals of which are phallic emblems, including that of the
Sun as a disc within the horns of the Crescent moon.

On Plate XXX. we have in figure 7 a cut of an important cylinder now
stored in the Berlin Museum, upon which are represented both the Sacred
Tree and the Ashera. The winged Sun-disc appears over the former and
the Crescent moon over the latter.

Figure 11 upon the same plate shows us a Masseba representing the Male
Principle, surmounted by the star-like form which represented the
radiate Sun; and an Ashera, representing the Female Principle,
surmounted by the Crescent moon.

Just as in modern Christianity we make a distinction without alleging
much difference between the Father and the Son, even so in ancient
times a distinction of a similarly vague kind was made between the
All-Father _Fire_ and His Image and First-begotten Son _Light_. The
disc of the Sun seems to have represented the former and the Sun-star
or radiate Sun the latter where both were represented in one
illustration, as for instance in figure 12 on the plate last mentioned.

The illustration in question is an important one. On the left is an
Ashera under a Crescent moon; in the centre is a Masseba under the
Sun-star or radiate Sun; and on the right is an altar under a sun disc.

The phallic meaning of all this is evident; and a kind of Trinity is
presented to us, _viz._ (1) The Female Principle and perhaps the
primeval Darkness, needing impregnation or illumination ere the same
can cause aught to be; (2) the Male Principle and Light, the First-born
Son of Fire; and (3) Fire itself, the one origin of all things and
Father of Spirits, made manifest unto mortals by His First-born Son,
and best symbolled, as is Light, by the Solar Orb.

On Plate XXXI. we have in figure 4 a representation of the goddess
Ishtar, the bride of the Sun-God. Over her we see the phallic symbol of
the radiate Sun and Crescent moon in conjunction.

On Plate XXXII. we see in figure 23 the Svastika cross under a tree, in
a representation of a scarab from Ialysos. This cross coupled with the
presence of two bulls, one on either side of the tree, seem to show
that the Male Principle is referred to.

On Plate XL. we have a cut of a votive arm, holding in its hand that
phallic symbol the apple, and obtained from the sanctuary of Apollo at
Voni.

On Plate LVIII. in representations of the stone capitals of two votive
pillars from the shrine of Aphrodite at Idalion, we see various phallic
emblems; including the familiar Sun disc and Crescent moon in
conjunction.

The same remark applies to Plate LIX., where two more such pillars are
illustrated.

Upon Plate LXIX. are given no less than 134 illustrations of ancient
religious symbols, and the phallic character of nearly if not quite all
is plainly apparent.

In twelve of these the presence of the Sun or the Crescent Moon as the
case may be, points out that in the former event the Male Principle of
Life, and in the latter the Female Principle of Life, is referred to.
In six other cases the presence of the Sun and Crescent moon in
juxtaposition shows that both those Principles are referred to. And in
four other examples the presence of the Sun and Crescent moon in
conjunction shows that the union of those Principles is referred to.

Besides the numerous Masseboth and Asheroth, respectively representing
the Male and Female Principles, we see numerous examples of the
triangle which represented the female _vulva_ and of the diamond shaped
symbol which represented the female _pudendum_.

Among the remaining symbols is the cross of four equal arms.

Upon Plate LXXV. is an illustration of a vase painting in red figures
from a Stamnos from Vulci Panofka. The representation is one of the
Sun-God Dionysos upon a cross.

The said cross, which like various Christian crosses of the Dark and
Middle Ages has projecting branches and foliage, seems to have been
more or less connected with the Tree worship of ancient times.

On Plate LXXVI. we are given thirteen examples of Sacred Trees
discovered in the groves of Astarte-Aphrodite and Tanit-Artemis-Cybele,
being clay copies of the Sacred Trees erected at the entrances to the
temples. As Dr. Ohnefalsch-Richter states, these evidently phallic
symbols undoubtedly played a part in the worship of the Sun-God
Tammuz-Adonis and his bride Astarte-Aphrodite.

Upon Plate LXXVII. we have a cut of an important Phoenician seal, where
we see (1) a man kneeling in adoration to a Divine Trinity connected
with the winged disc of the sun, and (2) a priest worshipping three
symbols. The three sacred symbols in question are (1) the Ashera or
symbol of the Female Life Principle; (2) the Masseba or symbol of the
Male Life Principle; and (3) a combination of the Ashera and Masseba
symbols representing the two Life Principles in conjunction.

On Plate LXXIX. we have in figure 14 a representation both of the
Sacred Tree and of the combined Ashera and Masseba. Over the latter we
naturally see the radiate Sun and Crescent moon in conjunction.

In figure 16 on the same plate are representations of an Ashera and a
Masseba, respectively surmounted by a Crescent moon and a radiate Sun.

A similar remark applies to figure 17. A sacrificing priest can be seen
in this and the last named instances.

On Plate LXXX. we have in figure 1 a representation of a holy pillar,
the volute capital of which has on it a Crescent moon within the horns
of which is a disc plainly marked with a cross. This is taken from an
ancient cylinder of Hittite origin.

On the same plate we see in figure 7 a Sun column from Tyre, upon which
we see the Crescent and disc in conjunction as in the last case, but
without the cross.

On Plate CXVIII. we have in figure 8 a cut of a fine vase from Melos
ornamented with a Svastika cross.

Upon Plate CXXXIII. we have, in figures I to 4, representations of a
sacred Boeotian chest or ark. On the front are seven Svastika crosses
(some of each variety) and one ordinary cross like our sign of
addition. On the lid we see two serpents surrounded by eight Svastika
crosses (some of each variety) and eight crosses formed of tau crosses,
{image "taucross.gif"}; besides two other crosses.

On the back are eight Svastika crosses (some of each variety) and eight
other crosses.

In figure 6 we have a cut of a chest from Athiaenon upon which two
Svastika crosses will be noticed.

In figure 8 of the same plate is an illustration of one side of another
sacred chest or ark from Athiaenon, on which two Svastika crosses of
the other variety can be seen.

Upon Plate CLV. we have in figure 9 a cut of an important Cyprian
Graeco-Phoenician Amphora discovered in an ancient grave at Kition and
now stored in the British Museum. The object represented upon it is a
Sacred Tree marked at the bottom with a St. Andrew's cross and
surrounded with Svastika crosses.

On Plate CLXXIII. we see in group 19 various objects discovered in
ancient graves; one bearing several ordinary crosses and also several
Svastika crosses, one bearing a Svastika cross of the other variety,
and a third bearing Svastika crosses of both kinds.

Upon Plate CXCII. are cuts of various Cyprian coins, the phallic symbol
of the circle and cross occurring upon Nos. 1, 9, and 10.

Leaving the Book of Plates and turning to the illustrations given with
the Text of the valuable work we are considering, we discover upon page
62 a cut showing the impression of a chalcedony cylinder from the
collection of the Due de Luynes, where the Sun is represented by a
Cross of four equal arms.

Upon page 85 we have in figure 117 an illustration of an inscribed
cylinder, now belonging to the Bibliotheque Nationale of France, in
which, as Dr. Ohnefalsch-Richter remarks, the priest or king
represented is raising his arm

     "In adoration in the direction of the Cross suspended in
     the air before him, a holy object we often meet on
     Assyrian and Babylonian monuments."

This cross, like that last named, is more like a Greek cross than a
Maltese cross.

On page 148 we have in figure 150 an illustration of a coloured image
of Aphrodite or Astarte discovered in an early Graeco-Phoenician tomb
at Kurion. This representation of the Goddess of Love and Bride of the
Sun-God is marked with several Svastika crosses, and is yet further
evidence of the phallic and solar character of that symbol.

Such is the evidence of the phallic worship and Sun-God worship of the
Phoenicians and their neighbours, of the close relationship between
such phallic worship and Sun-God worship, and of the part played in
connection with the same by the pre-Christian cross, borne by a work of
research so free from bias against the views of the Christian Church
that it has prefixed to it a letter of warm commendation from that
veteran statesman and theologian, the author of the ultra-orthodox
"_Impregnable Rock of Holy Scripture_."